Play the Harpby John Mayall, Jerry McGee, Larry Taylor

RIP John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars, has died. He was 90. He is credited with helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s. At various times, the Bluesbreakers included Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, later of Cream; Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac; Mick Taylor, who played five years with the Rolling Stones; and many, many more. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024. Mayall was born on Nov. 29, 1933 in Macclesfield, near Manchester in central England. Mayall once said, “The only reason I was born in Macclesfield was because my father was a drinker, and that’s where his favorite pub was.” His father also played guitar and banjo, and his records of boogie-woogie piano captivated his teenage son.